The Ties That Bind

[mizziette]

FORTY

As Casey walked along Summer Bay beach, he could hear the music blaring from the Surf Club Christmas party. Their laughter, drinking and dancing was enough to make him want to storm over there and knock the smiles off their faces. It annoyed him that they could celebrate the occasion so untroubled while his house was always silent in the summer. It was only another thing that made him an outcast.

The Braxtons weren’t a Christmas oriented family. Ever since her husband had left a week before the holiday 16 years ago, Cheryl spent every Christmas intoxicated and it was usually best to stay out of her way. Even mentioning it was forbidden in their house. No trees, no presents, no mistletoe, and no Christmas pudding for the boys, not if they wanted to face their mother’s wrath.

Casey had never had a normal Christmas morning with the family and he craved for one. While his friends were excited about what presents they’d get, he spent his time wishing it would be over. Sure, Brax tried his best to make him feel normal but it wasn’t the same. They always made sure Cheryl was still passed out from the previous night’s bender and if she was, they celebrated in whispers in his room. Brax used to tell him stories about Santa Claus when Casey was a kid and give him presents but it wasn’t the same. Other kids had their mum do all that stuff, and a dad if they were lucky. He had neither, only a brother who tried to fill the empty shoes and shouldn’t have had to.

It was getting late and the humid summer air was making his clothes cling to him. He dialled Heath’s phone again to try and get a ride but it dialled out. He was probably still getting drunk with his mates, who would one day be his mates. Casey kicked away a bottle as he thought this, hating the pressure that came with being a Braxton. His brothers’ reputation was the only thing he had going for him and he hated it.

On the other side of town, sitting in a small harbour side warehouse by the container dock, Heath laughed at his mates’ jokes with a beer in his hand. This was everything he loved about being a river boy; they were mates for life. While the rest of town celebrated the coming of the holidays, he felt at home with his boys because they were in exactly the same boat as him. Heath Braxton enjoyed the family atmosphere of Christmas as much as the rest of the world and his holidays were spent with the river boys; his own brand of family. For better or for worse, these were his boys, his brothers and he wouldn’t spend Christmas any other way.

The phone rang for the third time that evening and Heath punched the ignore button for the third time, annoyed that Casey was bothering him so much. He wished the boy would get the message; he was busy. He saw Brax looking his way, his brows raised questioningly.

Brax’ enquiring look was answered with a shrug and the oldest Braxton rolled his eyes. The rest of the boys were having fun joking around but his heart just wasn’t in it. He’d had too many Christmas Eves spent in abandoned warehouses just like this and he was sick of it. He missed how it used to be when his parents were happily married. Heath was too young to remember but he remembered how his parents would hold hands and tuck them in Christmas Eve and kiss them both on the forehead.

Looking around, Brax realised how much everything had changed. These boys around him, they were great people but they could be more. He missed how it used to be, before Casey was born and their dad stormed out. They had been happy then, the four of them. His dad had tucked him in every night until he was eight; the old man was rough and abusive but he sure could be gentle when he wanted to be. Back then Brax would never have guessed that he’d be tucking in Casey the same way eight years later.

As the oldest, Brax remembered Sean Braxton the most and was the only Braxton to miss his dad, however screwed up he was. Heath was too young and Casey never knew the guy and he was glad. With the feelings of yearning that overwhelmed him every year during the holidays also came the abandonment and disappointment and he didn’t want that for his little brothers. Looking out the window from the loft, he saw a lone figure creeping around between the large storage containers.

Hugo Austin. Brax sat up immediately focussed. He looked like he was up to something. Putting down his beer, he scanned the grounds around the smuggler, the view clear from his elevated position. There. He spotted the young woman in the black leather jacket and slick pony tail trying to kick a door. Man, how hot did she look in that badass outfit. Shaking his head at the thought of considering a cop hot, he furrowed his eyebrows.

‘Everything right mate?’ A hand pressed on Brax’ shoulder and he looked back to find Heath standing over him. Silently the older man answered by inclining his head disapprovingly towards the window.

Heath moved forward and observed what his brother was pointing out. Hugo Austin and Charlie Buckton in the same vicinity; trouble was looming and there was no way it was going to end well.

‘We have to get out of here.’ Brax’ voice was half-hearted and toneless. The rest of the boys stopped and listened to him. ‘Looks like Austin’s about to get busted and we don’t need to get caught up in it.’

The next morning, Brax snuck into Casey’s room and nudged him awake. ‘Wake up sleepy head, got you something.’ He whispered to the sleepy boy holding an iPod touch. ‘Merry Christmas mate.’

‘Thanks.’ Casey put it on the bedside table before grunting and facing the wall. Brax sighed as he went out of the room, the look of pity unmistakable on his face. Who was he kidding, nothing he could do would ever make it up to his baby brother. The poor kid’s life was unstable from the start and even on Christmas morning, Brax knew better than to wish for a miracle. God only knew, the Braxtons never got miracles.

[mizziette]

FORTY ONE

Australia Day. A day to celebrate being Australian. Or at least it should have been. Brax looked around at the disaster left over from the riot and shuddered. He was a man used to violence but it still shocked him how close minded people could be.

‘Who got arrested?’ His voice was threatening as Heath walked up behind him.

‘Mick and Pee Wee. The others managed to get out in time.’

‘They shouldn’t have been here in the first place.’

‘Mate, come on.’ Heath followed as Brax stormed away to his car. ‘It’s Australia Day. The boys just wanted to have some fun.’

‘You know how it is, Heath. You think picking on some guy because he’s not from around here’s fun? We have lines we don’t cross and this is one of them.’

‘It’s not like our boys started it.’

Brax just sighed and got into his car, on his way to bail his idiot mates out of jail. The police station was more crowded than usual. With the riot at the surf club, the coppers were working overtime. Men of all ages were being cuffed, locked up and questioned. It would take for ever for him to get out of here.

‘My mate Mick, you know when he’s going to be out?’ He impatiently asked Constable Watson who was busying herself at her desk, piles of papers slipping in and out of her hand.

‘As much as I would love to help you out Darryl, I’m really too busy to care.’ Watson got up from her chair and ducked past him. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me I have work to do. If I were you though, I’d leave your mate. You’ll be waiting for him well into the morning.’

As the officer walked off, he sighed and took an empty seat in the waiting area. While people walked left and right around him, Brax wondered where Snr Constable Buckton was. Rosetta seemed to be missing in action too. Maybe she’d gotten hurt at the bust at Port Heron. He shook his head, shaking the thought away with it. Since when did Darryl Braxton worry about a cop? Never, that’s when.

The next morning when Heath woke up, Brax still wasn’t home. He doubted the guy was with a chick, which hardly ever happened these days. Most likely he was still at the station waiting for the boys. He looked outside the window, it looked like great weather for a surf.

Wilson’s beach was quiet as usual. Looking around he saw Casey and his mate Stu from school already there. Brody was with them, waxing his surf board. Heath walked over to them. ‘How come no one invited me to the party?’

‘We knew you’d crash anyway mate.’ Brody joked. ‘What’s the deal with Mick and Pee Wee?’

‘I haven’t heard from Brax. He didn’t come home last night so he’s probably still at the station.’

‘It’s their fault for getting caught up in that riot.’

‘What riot?’ Casey interjected.

Before any one answered him, a petite blonde girl came up a few metres to their left and examined the waves. Heath grinned, seizing the opportunity. ‘I’d turn around if I were you. Wilson’s is no place for a pretty little thing like you. You’ll break a nail out there.’

The boys laughed and Mink Carpenter smugly smiled before walking up to them. ‘Who says I’m afraid of breaking a few nails?’

‘I’m serious, princess. You couldn’t handle the waves on this beach.’ Heath moved closer to her. ‘But if you want to see if you can handle me…’

‘Don’t worry, I could have you wrapped around my little finger if I wanted to. But right now I’d rather kick your ass out in the surf.’

‘Is that a challenge?’

‘What if it is?’ Mink and Heath were only inches apart from each other now.

‘All right, princess. Don’t blame it on me when you break your pretty little face on those rocks though. I did warn you.’

Mink ignored the derogatory comment and instead ran out into the water, closely followed by Heath and his mates. For over two hours, Heath and Mink surfed tirelessly, wanting desperately not to be outdone by the other.

Heath got off his twentieth wave slightly exhausted and looking at his competition, he sighed. She didn’t look even slightly put off and although he’d never admit it, she was amazing on the water, maybe even better than him. She was hot, witty and surfed like a maniac; now that was his kind of girl and he didn’t even know her name.

‘Tired, pretty boy?’ Mink paddled up to him ad grinned that dynamite smile of hers.

‘Of course not.’ Heath paddled away and took the next set, the waves were larger than usual. Taking a chance before he jumped up, he looked back at the feisty blonde girl who was still grinning. The distraction was enough and the river boy slipped as he tried to ride the wave, his whole body going underwater.

When Heath reached the surface again, the girl was making her way out of the water. Just as she was about to step out of the water onto the sand, Mink glanced back. The look of triumph in her eyes was unmistakable as she blew an air kiss towards him. Humiliated by his fall, Heath cursed the air and paddled over to the boys, ready to be mocked even more.

[mizziette]

FORTY TWO

Cheryl woke up in the morning with a splitting headache. What else was knew. Rubbing her eyes, she reluctantly got out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen to find Heath on the couch and Brax in the kitchen. ‘Morning boys.’

‘Morning mum.’ Brax greeted her while she dropped lazily onto the couch. Checking the clock on the mantel piece, he called into the hallway. ‘Casey, get up! You’ll be late.’

‘Late for what?’ Cheryl asked.

‘It’s the first day of school.’

‘I still don’t get why you’re making him go to school. He doesn’t have to go past year ten.’

‘She’s right. I don’t.’ Casey came into the living area shirtless in only sweatpants.

‘We went over this in the summer. You need to go to school.’ Brax sighed. ‘Go get dressed would you?’

‘He doesn’t need some do-gooder pushing rubbish into his head, he needs to be working and earning money.’ Cheryl interjected.

‘Money that’ll disappear as soon as he gets his pay check. At least with an education he can have more than that. Why are you so hell bent on crippling the boy? What are you so afraid of anyway?’ The calmly articulated question was followed by silence by the exhausted woman.

Amidst the brewing storm, Heath grunted in annoyance and pulled the cushion on top of his head, hoping the argument wouldn’t escalate like it had so many times in the past. His mum and brother had been arguing about Casey’s schooling all summer and he was sick of it.

Brax glared at Casey and grunting, the teenage boy hustled off back to his room to change, aware that he didn’t have a choice. Putting his blue Reefton lakes school shirt with faded jeans, he felt constricted. There were not many people at school he called friends and everyone thought he was stupid anyway so Casey didn’t understand why he was being forced to go back.

‘Ready?’ Brax picked up his keys and the two boys headed out of the room after saying good bye to their mum who was busy ignoring them.

When the boys left, Cheryl Braxton grunted and put her feet on the coffee table. It was her day off and she had no idea what she needed to do. Staring at the TV screen, she couldn’t concentrate. Frustration was building up inside her and she had no way of releasing it. She couldn’t understand why Darryl wound her up so much. She was Casey’s parent not him so what gave him the right to make the decisions. Deep down Cheryl knew the answer but her stubborn nature blocked the thought from her mind.

Heath fluffed up the pillows he rested his head on and turned up the volume. He wasn’t much of a day time TV person but ‘Maury Povich’ was half okay. His family almost seemed normal compared to the nuts that went on that show. As he settled, he turned the volume up even more.

‘Oi, turn that down!’ Cheryl grumbled but Heath didn’t listen to her. A cushion flew in the direction of the young man’s face. ‘I said turn it down. Didn’t you hear me?’

‘Easy old lady. I heard you the first time.’ He turned it down a notch but it still seemed too loud for her.

‘Seems you didn’t hear me very well. At this rate bloody Summer Bay could hear that filth.’ The woman stood up and stormed over to her son, ready to snatch it out of his hand and do the job herself.

Heath however, wasn’t about to relieve his control of the remote. The struggle was short; the younger stronger man could have easily won but didn’t want to hurt his mum in the process. Even if she didn’t have any qualms about disciplining her boys the old fashioned way, the boys would never lay a hand on her.

Cheryl snatched the remote away from her son in an angry huff and unable to withstand the anger brewing in her from Darryl, she let it all out on Heath. ‘This isn’t some run down share house you live in with your mates you know. I made a home for you boys here, the least you could do is show respect when you’re in it.’ The words coincided with a half dozen thumps from the remote.

Still in a huff and cursing to herself, Cheryl sat back down and turned down the volume to a decent level before changing the channel. She was a small woman, less than half the size of her sons but her bite was like venom. Heath sat up and stretched his neck before moving past his mother to step outside.

‘Get me a beer would you?’ Cheryl grabbed his hand briefly as he tried to walk past.

‘Mum, it’s eight in the morning.’ Heath criticised, for the first time feeling a creeping pain on his right jaw bone. He hoped it wouldn’t leave too big a bruise. ‘You want some get it yourself. I sure as hell won’t.’

As the car door slammed and Heath drove off, Cheryl Braxton sighed. She hadn’t meant to be so hard on the boy but Darryl had wound her up so much with the talk of school. At 50 years old, she still hadn’t mastered the art of anger management and unwittingly ended up taking her anger out on the first person in sight. It was a terrible habit, taking one’s insecurities out on unsuspecting innocents but Cheryl didn’t know how to stop.

[mizziette]

FORTY THREE

‘I hope you’re not here to challenge me again.’ Mink walked over to the young man who seemed lost in thought. ‘Cause you know you’ll just humiliate yourself again.’

Heath looked up from his seated position on Summer Bay beach to find the mystery blonde girl from the other day. ‘If you say so.’

‘I do.’ She sat down next to him and held out her hand. ‘I’m Mink Carpenter. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.’

‘Heath Braxton.’ The young woman’s hand felt silky smooth for someone with such a rough personality. Their handshake lingered for a little longer than necessary before letting go.

Glancing sideways, Mink noticed that Heath seemed distracted and preoccupied with something. His jawbone was also slightly raw and red and she tenderly touched it. ‘That’s going to leave a nice bruise.’

‘Don’t.’ The reply was gruff.

‘No need to be so snippy. How’d you do it anyway?’

‘I got into a fight.’ Heath didn’t think it worth mentioning the fight was a one sided one involving his mother.

There was an awkward silence for a while and Heath hoped she’d leave but she wouldn’t. He hadn’t meant to be so abrupt with her and immediately regretted it. Sneaking a glance at his companion, he noticed a small inscription on her petite shoulder blade. ‘Nice tattoo. ‘Killer’ huh?’

‘Yep.’ Now it was Mink’s turn to be stand offish.

‘Let me guess, it’s because you got a killer bod right?’ He tried to make up for his previous gruffness by being light hearted.

‘Nope.’

Damn. She didn’t seem even remotely flattered at the compliment, however crude it was. It looked like Heath wasn’t the only one with secrets in the closet. ‘What then? Because you’re a killer surfer?’

Mink finally looked at him. ‘What do your tattoos mean then, since you want to talk tattoos so much? ‘Blood and Sand?’

‘It’s the river boy code. It’s what I am.’

‘What the hell’s a river boy.’

‘I am.’ They were both at ease now. ‘You’re not from around here are you?’

‘I’m visiting my baby brother. We haven’t seen each other in a while.’

‘Where were you before?’

‘Somewhere I’m never going back to. I take it you’re a local?’

‘I live near Wilson’s with my mum and brothers.’

‘A grown man who can’t surf properly and still lives with his mum.’ Mink clicked her tongue cheekily. ‘What a catch.’

Heath felt a blush creeping up and was glad his cheek was already red from Cheryl’s rage earlier. He tried to defend his image but ended up revealing more than he intended. ‘Well, she’s always at the bar anyway so it doesn’t really count.’

‘Sounds like my mum.’ Mink smiled. ‘I wasn’t judging you. At least you know where your mum is.’

‘You don’t know yours?’ Heath was beginning to see that they had more in common than he believed.

‘Haven’t seen her in years.’ Feeling uncomfortable, she didn’t elaborate and instead stood up and shook the sand of her shorts. ‘Anyway, I should go meet Romeo. I’ll see you around.’

‘Romeo?’ The question prompted Mink to turn around as she walked away. ‘Sounds like a douche.’

‘It’s my brother’s name so don’t bag it! He likes to think he’s a ladies man.’ And with that she was gone.

[mizziette]

FORTY FOUR

Mink Carpenter couldn’t help but smile to herself as she strolled the aisles of the Yabee Creek surf shop. She could feel all that cash bundled up in her shorts pocket and couldn’t understand why Xavier would just leave it lying around in his room. What good was money if it couldn’t be spent?

‘Afternoon stranger.’ Heath cheekily crept up behind the gleeful girl and poked her shoulder, making her turn around. ‘What brings you here?’

‘I’ve got a wad of cash in my pocket that needs spending.’

‘You win the lottery?’

‘Something like that.’ Mink smiled again and wandered down the aisle, picking up a sleek wet suit and holding it against her body. ‘What do you think?’

‘Looking good.’ Heath couldn’t help but grin.

Twenty minutes later the newly made friends stood in line at the counter with a bundle of new things in their hands. As Mink took out the rolled up cash from her pocket, Heath’s eyes widened in surprise. Strolling through the streets of the small town afterwards, he carried the bags for his friend, being the gentleman he is. ‘So, did you rob a bank last night?’

‘What?’

‘That’s a lot of cash. Did you rob a bank or inherit it or what?’

‘A friend of mine inherited it from his brother.’ Mink winked. ‘I borrowed it from him.’

‘Sounds like my kind of mate.’ Heath wondered about the girl he walked beside. She was like no other girl he’d met before and he wondered if this friend of hers was more than a friend. ‘You two must be pretty close if he lent you all that money.’

‘Not really.’ She didn’t elaborate.

After a moment of silence, the conversation continued. ‘So what’s next on the shopping list?’

Grinning Mink halted outside a car yard. ‘Heath, have you ever wanted to ride a sports car?’

Ten minutes later, after a lot of bargaining, the two of them sped through the streets in a sleek black vintage Mercury Comet convertible, Mink’s hair flying from the wind in the driver’s seat. It was only a test drive and they had to return it but for the next two hours they could enjoy the ride.

The car sped through the streets until it screeched to a halt in front of the Braxton house. While Heath got out of the sports car, he was met with the gaping mouth of his little brother as he leaned on the fence.

‘What are you looking at?’ Heath questioned before making his way inside.

‘Nice.’ Casey said to himself as he looked back towards the now empty street as the hot girl in the hot car sped away into the sunset.

Slowly, the moody teenager followed his brother around the house, where some of the river boys were hanging out in the backyard. There was a small bonfire going in an old bin and laughter and beer filled the large riverfront backyard. It was a friendly, fun atmosphere but Casey didn’t really feel like he belonged. He looked up at Heath who was grabbing a beer out of the cooler and turned to head inside, hoping to avoid the festivities.

‘Oi Case, come over here. Take a load off.’ Stu called out, stealing the boy’s chance of an inconspicuous getaway. Reluctantly turning around he moved and took a seat near the back fence with a bunch of guys a little closer to his age.

Stu Henderson went to Summer Bay high and was in the year below him at school. As he took the beer the boy offered and took a sip, he wondered why he wanted to be a river boy so badly. Casey didn’t have a choice, he was a river boy by blood, his brothers helped found the brotherhood and bearing the Braxton name made it his curse to bear whether he liked it or not.

Stu on the other hand actually wanted to be accepted by these boys like so many before him and bearing the ‘blood and sand’ tattoo was all he wanted. The two boys had been mates since primary school but as they grew older they had grown apart, mainly because of their differing views on the river boys.

As 16 year old Casey sipped his beer and half-heartedly contributed to the conversation, Brax walked into the backyard after a long day doing god knew what. The oldest brother had been disappearing a lot lately and Casey wondered where he went. Where ever it was, he always returned with a dopey look on his face; a mix between pity and serenity.

[mizziette]

FORTY FIVE

Sitting alone in the back of the class, Casey felt lonely. He was supposed to be doing his test but he couldn’t pay attention. Impatiently waiting for the bell to ring, he looked at the clock on the right wall. There was still 30 minutes left. The seconds ticked and ticked but the minute hand barely moved.

Sighing, Casey looked back down at the history test paper in front of him. It was completely unfair to spring a test on them only four weeks into the school year. The longer he stared at the page, the more his head hurt. The words blurred and moved across the page and were almost illegible to him. This always happened. He liked history and knew all the information from listening to the teacher in class but when it came to putting the information on paper, he might as well have been asked to conduct brain surgery. It was that hard.

A while longer and the headache was getting worse, the boy’s concentration was fading. The bell rang. As Casey stood up to go home, he realised that he had barely written anything on his paper and he felt the usual shame that came with the thought. Stepping out of the classroom with his head down in a slump, he ran straight into a petite brunette who dropped her books.

‘Watch it!’ She grumbled and bent down to pick up her things. Casey shyly bent to help her and couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful girl who was cursing under her breath. As she looked up at him and found him gawking, she scoffed. ‘What?’

While she walked away in a huff, the teenage boy sighed. He had never been good around girls, he always said the wrong thing or did the wrong thing. Heath and Brax were clearly at ease with the opposite sex but it seemed Casey hadn’t inherited the gene. He was always too shy and quiet to be noticed or walk up to a girl he liked. At 16, the boy had never kissed a girl. Of course then there was the river boy reputation, constantly controlling his life. Girls either flocked to the bad boy image and got bored when they realised Casey didn’t fit the image or the reputation scared them off all together.

While his little brother was drowning in his low self-esteem, Brax was facing an uneasy predicament. Jail. Although he had bailed out his mates from the very institution countless times, he himself had never experienced the inside of a four by four cell; he was far too smart to get caught. Until now.

‘Mr Braxton.’ The smoky voice of the young cop made Brax catch his breath and his heart began pounding. Silently, he cursed his body to stop reacting so erratically around her. She was after all, first and foremost a cop. Strictly off limits.

‘Constable.’ He stood up as the woman unlocked the door to let him out.

‘That’s Sergeant to you.’ The newly appointed Sergeant Buckton said sternly as she undid his cuffs and guided him into the front room. ‘It seems we won’t be charging you with loitering. This time. Let’s hope you don’t hang around the school again.’

Brax couldn’t help but appreciate the way her warm hand made his bicep tingle as she guided him. When she let go, the air felt cold and uninviting where she had been holding him. He told himself off for the thought as he unconsciously rubbed his bicep.

Standing at the front counter, he silently signed all the paperwork required of him, only too aware that Sergeant Buckton was watching him. While he was doing this, a smaller cop brushed up next to them.

‘What happened to you?’ Brax grinned at the pregnant newcomer who was trying her best to ignore him. ‘Come on Fitzy, not even a hello for an old friend?’

‘Hi Brax.’ Lara Fitzgerald seemed unimpressed at seeing her ex-boyfriend. She noticed that Charlie raised her eyebrows but didn’t answer her silent question. ‘Charlie, did you manage to get those Maternity Leave Forms for me?’

‘Yeah.’ Charlie smiled and rummaged through some papers before finding them. ‘Here they are.’

‘Thanks.’ To Brax’ disappointment, Fitzy didn’t say a word before she left. She was his first kiss and first girlfriend but that didn’t matter anymore. They were on the wrong sides off the law now; she was the enemy.

Glaring sunlight met the young man as he descended down the stairs that led out from the police station. As he did so, he looked around for the girl he had just gotten arrested for.

‘Brax!’ A pretty dark blonde teenager ran up to him. ‘Thank God you’re okay. I’m sorry I took so long getting out of school today. I had detention and Mr Copeland was being a total….’

‘It’s fine. It’s fine. No harm done. It’s my fault anyway for hanging around the school for so long. Someone was bound to call the cops on me for loitering.’

‘You sure I didn’t get you in too much trouble?’

‘Danielle, I’m sure.’ Brax put his arm around her as they walked. ‘You’re my little sis. It was worth it.’

Danielle smiled, calmed by her newly found brother’s words. For 16 years she had thought she was an only child and now here she was; somebody’s little sister. ‘Brax. I’m glad I’ve found you. I’ve always wanted a big brother.’

‘And now you have three, eh?’

‘Are you going to tell them about me soon?’ They’d been hanging out secretly for nearly two months because they didn’t want to hurt their estranged parents.

‘Soon.’ Brax agreed. ‘And they’ll love you.’

[mizziette]

FORTY SIX

‘That pig!’ Heath burst out, angry at the revelation. ‘Why didn’t mum tell us he left because he knocked up Tracy?’

Brax could understand his hesitance. ‘How many times has mum mentioned dad in the last 16 years? None that’s what. She can’t even stand his name, partly why I kept this a secret for so long. She wants to meet you guys. I already talked to Casey last night and he’s up for it.’

‘I don’t believe this. How could he leave us to raise ourselves when all the time he was looking after this Danielle chick?’

‘Like you said, our dad’s a pig. But it isn’t Danielle’s fault. Just think about it.’

‘I don’t know. I need some air.’ It was all too much for Heath to handle and he walked out of the house.

‘Just think about it.’ Brax called after him.

‘What’s with the bag?’ Heath asked an hour later as he walked up to Mink who was packed and ready to go. ‘Not leaving me are you?’

‘I’m going on the surf circuit.’ Mink smiled sweetly as she waited by the bus stop. Her usual defensive demeanour seemed to evaporate when she was with him no matter how hard she tried.

‘I’ve always wanted to go on one of those.’

‘Yeah me too. It’d be better with a manager though. My brother bailed on me to do the stupid HSC.’

‘What an idiot.’

‘That’s what I said.’ She couldn’t help but smile.

There was some silence and Heath couldn’t help but hint. ‘It’s probably going to be pretty lonely on that circuit by yourself.’

‘I’m used to it.’

‘Still, some friendly company might be nice. Especially if they were surfing fanatics.’

‘Now where am I going to find company like that?’ Mink played along, knowing exactly where it was going.

‘You know my mates tell me I make pretty good company.’

‘Do they now?’ She laughed. ‘Sounds like great mates.’

‘You are.’ Heath couldn’t help but notice his friend blush at that. ‘So can I come or what?’

‘The bus leaves in half an hour.’

‘I can grab a bag and be back in ten.’ Grinning like a mad man, he ran back to his house as fast as he could to pack a small bag and leave a note for his family.

Danielle was relieved when the school bell rang. Mr Copeland had been acting weirder than usual lately and his strange mood was making learning in English very difficult. Eager to go meet Brax who was picking her up as usual, she hurried to her locker only to find a couple making out in front of it.

‘Um, get a room?’ Danielle lifted her eyebrows in annoyance as Xavier and Ruby unwillingly released their embrace and went on their way.

‘No need to be rude.’ Ruby muttered but the younger girl couldn’t care less. She was meeting her brothers today. Nothing could ruin her mood.

After she met Brax, they drove off to the beach. ‘Danielle, there’s something I need to tell you. Heath won’t be joining us.’

‘Why not?’ She couldn’t hide the disappointment.

‘He left town this morning for the surf circuit with some chick he’s being hanging out with lately. He left a note on the kitchen table and that’s it.’

‘He didn’t want to meet me before he left?’

‘I think he just needed a little time to sort everything out in his head. It’s a lot to handle in one go.’ Brax saw the upset look in his sister’s face as they parked by the beach. ‘Hey, it’s okay. I’m sure you’ll get to meet him when he gets back.’

Danielle tried to smile as they got out of the car. Casey was in Year eleven too and as they walked along the beach she was nervous to meet him. Brax led her down the sandy walkway right up to a lanky brunette teenager who was the spitting image of his brother.

‘Danielle, this is Casey, your brother.’ They stopped in front of the teenager.

‘Well obviously I haven’t inherited the tall gene.’ Danielle surmised, instantly easing the mood. And she was right, the petite blonde barely came up to her brothers’ shoulders.

Casey laughed as his nerves dissipated and eyes lit up in recognition. Maybe this would be less awkward than he thought. After all, they did already know each other.

[mizziette]

FORTY SEVEN

‘Excuse me.’ A Summer Bay girl pushed past in her uniform and Casey couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous she was as she walked away from them.

He and Danielle were walking along the beach after school. They had been meeting up regularly ever since their first initial meeting a month ago and it was like they’d always been siblings. Every day after school, they had gotten into the routine of playing a game. ‘Favourite sesame street character.’

‘Oh that’s easy.’ Casey smiled. ‘You can’t beat Elmo. Favourite chocolate?’

‘Anything caramel.’ Danielle swung her school shoes in her hand as they walked.

‘Same. Brax is a sucker for caramel too.’

‘Favourite subject?’

‘Hate school. But I guess P.E’s alright.’

‘You’re such a guy. Mine’s English. My teacher, Mr Copeland’s pretty cool. It's a shame he's lost it but he's cool.'

‘I can’t believe we went to the same primary school and never made the connection.’

‘We never had the same friends. I had my friends and you were always with Rocco. Casey and Rocco; the inseparable twins. You must miss him.’

‘We didn’t really see each other much before he died.’ Uncomfortable at talking about his dead mate, Casey changed the subject. ‘It wouldn’t have been obvious in school anyway. We don’t even have the same last name.’

Danni shrugged. ‘Dad dumped us when I was three. Mum didn’t want to remember him so she changed my name to hers. I don’t remember him. I didn’t even know what his name was until a few months ago. Any mention of Sean Braxton is expressly forbidden in my house.’

‘Sounds like my house. I can’t believe this is happening. I never thought I’d have a little sister. Now I don’t have to be the baby of the family anymore.’

‘Hey, I’m only four months younger. But it is crazy isn’t it? If I’d never gotten curious about finding our dad and searched my mum’s diary, I’d never have found you guys.’ Linking her arms around his, the two of them walked up to the surf club. ‘You’re pretty cool for a big brother, you know that.’

‘Thanks.’ Casey laughed and distractedly bumped into the same girl he’d bumped into a second ago, spilling her milk shake unceremoniously on the floor. ‘Sorry. I didn’t see you. Are you okay?’

‘It’s fine.’ The girl frowned. ‘At least it didn’t get on my dress.

As she walked away from them, the hormonal teenager couldn’t help but stare after.

‘That’s Mel Blakeney. She’s directing the school play this year. We’re doing Romeo and Juliet with a twist. She’s cute, huh.’ Danni noticed her brother staring at the girl.

‘Yeah, I guess.’

‘The look on your face says you more than guess. Look at you, you’re blushing. You should come to the play actually. I’m in it . I’m playing Lord Montague.’

‘Yeah great. Do you want to play or not?’ Casey unsuccessfully willed his blush away and headed to the pool table, leaving Danni to follow.

When he got home that night, Casey was all grins. Rocco had been the only real friend he’d had in his life, everyone else were either his brother’s mates or they didn’t get him. Danielle understood him and for the first time in a while, he felt like he had real friends again. And that new girl he met at the surf club: wow.

‘How was school?’ Brax called out from the couch.

‘It’s school.’ Casey grumbled and took off his blue and white Reefton Lakes tie. ‘Have you heard from Heath?’

‘Yeah, he texted this morning from the Gold Coast. He’s having the time of his life apparently.’

‘Of course he is. It’s the surf circuit.’

Brax looked up from his novel and noticed that his little brother looked distracted about something. ‘Everything right mate?’

‘Yeah.’ The boy thought for a while and hesitantly leaned on the foot of the couch. ‘Hey Brax?’

‘Hmm?’

‘You’ve know a lot of girls.’

The older brother sat up and raised his eyebrows. ‘What’re you getting at?’

‘Well, I just meant that you uh- girls you know, they’re-.’ Casey stuttered, a little nervous to dwell on this unfamiliar territory with his brother. They’d never talked about this stuff before.

‘Case, is there a girl you like?’ Brax smiled, wondering where the years have gone. His baby brother was growing up.

‘Well, yeah. Kind of. I think so. I mean, me and Danielle were hanging out in the Bay and I spilled milkshake over this girl and she’s, well uh, she’s-‘

‘She’s cute?’

‘Yeah but she doesn’t exactly know me.’

‘Maybe she should get to know you then. If you like this girl, just dive in and talk to her. It’s the only way you’ll get anywhere.’ Brax took a deep breath and decided he needed to dive right in himself. It was times like these not having a dad sucked; having to take over his duties. Nervously, he broached the topic. ‘Casey mate, you know about girls, right?’

‘Hmm. What about girls?’

‘Well, I just mean if you’re thinking about, you know, with girls, you should be careful and safe.’

‘Brax! Brax, you don’t have to torture yourself.’ Case stood up, equally uncomfortable. ‘We had Sex Ed in school.’

‘Oh thank god. Great! That's great Case.’ Brax couldn’t be more relieved and his voice was unusually high. 'You hungry?'

[mizziette]

FORTY EIGHT

‘Did you hear? Leah and the good Reverend Jones are involved in an unholy affair. It’s quite the scandal. A young reputable lady and a man of the church in cahoots with each other. If you ask me… Oh!’ Colleen stopped mid-sentence as she found her pathway blocked by a large tattooed man. While her companion seemed unaffected, the old gossip was unnerved by the obstacle and scurried away intimidated in distress.

Brax stood in the Summer Bay High hall feeling a little out of place. It had been a while since he’d been in a high school. Beside him, his little brother Casey also stood like a fish out of water. He wasn’t exactly popular at his own school but here at Danielle’s home territory he felt even more out of place. There wasn’t a single familiar face except for Brax who had tagged along to see the play and Danielle was backstage getting ready for her acting debut on the stage.

‘I’m going to find a drink or something.’ Casey left his older brother to his own devices.

No sooner than he’d left a familiar voice erupted from behind. ‘Darryl Braxton. I hope you’re not here to cause any trouble.’

‘Wouldn’t dream of it Sarge.’ Brax turned around to face Angelo with his usual feigned grin. ‘Don’t you worry. I’m just here to support the kids. Being a good community citizen and all that.’

‘Of course you are.’ Angelo looked bemused. It didn’t matter if there was only one or a dozen; all river boys were trouble and as a police officer, he wasn’t about to tolerate any trouble, especially at a high school play.

‘Hey, we should get a seat. The show’s about to start.’ Charlie walked over to the two men all smiles. She couldn’t be more proud of her daughter for her part in the production as Mercutio. As she reached her estranged friend, the Sergeant finally noticed the gang leader in the room and reluctantly acknowledged him with a nod. ‘Darryl.’

‘Looking good Sarge.’ Brax nodded his head and grinned but his efforts were wasted. The two off-duty police officers were walking away from him before he’d even opened his mouth.

The curtains drew back ten minutes later to reveal the setting of Romeo and Juliet. By now Casey and Brax were sitting in one of the middle rows and as Casey looked towards the stage, he was happy to see the girl from the Surf Club walking on the stage.

‘Hey everyone. I’m Mel, the director of this year’s production of Romeo and Juliet and…’ Mel Blakeney introduced and the young teenager couldn’t help but notice how she smiled so sweetly. For him it was the highlight of the night and the play hadn’t even started yet.

When the actors eventually did start, it was amazing. Girls clashing swords and boys in skirts, there was no room for boredom. Even the sombre moments were moving, especially the musical numbers by Mercutio. Casey couldn’t help but admit, that girl could sing. Even though Danielle’s part was rather small, even she shone bright.

‘That was great!’ Casey exclaimed when he and Brax met up with their little sister after the play.

‘It better have been.’ Danielle laughed. ‘Mel had us slaving over this play for weeks, I’d be pretty annoyed if it wasn’t.’

‘You were great, Danni. You all were.’ Brax assured her, proud of her sister. Casey never did any extracurricular activities so he had been stoked when she had invited him to this.

‘Danielle.’ A skinny frizzy haired woman walked up to them and put her arm over the young girl’s shoulder. ‘I see you have some new friends.’

‘Hi Tracy.’ Brax greeted his sister’s mother. Casey of course was too young to remember her but he wasn’t. He remembered how her and Cheryl had been the best of friends and how his father kept disappearing and ‘working late’ all the time and he especially remembered the day he hid in his room with two month old Casey while Sean Braxton slammed the door and walked out of their life forever.

‘Darryl. It’s been a while.’ Tracy Hay was obviously unnerved by this new turn of events. Never had it crossed her mind that her only daughter would find her brothers. She looked at the lanky teenage boy next to him. ‘And you must be the youngest boy.’

‘Yeah. I’m Casey.’ Casey could feel the discomfort pulsating between the four of them.

‘After your great-Uncle.’ Danielle’s mother smiled anxiously but the boy was still uncomfortable at the familiar remark. This woman he had never met before knew so much about his family, maybe more than him and it intimidated him.

‘I didn’t know I had a Great-Uncle Casey.’

Tracy just smiled, annoyed that she’d been put on the spot. She’d had no idea they were even in contact. ‘Your grandfather’s brother. Not much of man. Danielle, you didn’t tell me you invited your brothers to see your play.’

Danielle gulped. When she’d invited the boys it had never crossed her mind that they might run into her mother. ‘Yeah, mum. I guess I forgot to tell you.’

‘Pretty big thing to forget.’

‘There’s an after party for the cast at the caravan park. Can I go?’ The young girl just ignored it and tried to diffuse the awkwardness. Tracy nodded her permission. ‘Casey, I could use a plus one.’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘Mel’s going to be there.’

That was all the convincing it took. Casey nodded. ‘It was nice to meet you Tracy.’

‘You too.’ Tracy watched as the two teenager eagerly left the uncomfortable situation. Then it was just her and Brax.

‘Well. I guess I should get going too.’ Brax smiled politely, probably more eager to get away than the kids. There was no way he wanted to spend another second with his dad’s mistress. The woman had broken his mother’s heart. There was no excuse.

‘How are you?’ She wasn’t as eager to run and kept him in his place.

‘I didn’t think you’d care.’

‘I’m sorry about everything Darryl.’ Tracy was nervous. The last time she’d seen him, he had been a twelve year old boy. Now he was a twenty nine year old man. ‘I thought maybe we could have a drink. Catch up. There’s a surf club nearby.’

Although the young man didn’t want anything to do with this woman, the desperation in her eyes changed his mind. Brax had to admit, as much as he was apprehensive, he needed answers and closure. And Tracey Hay was the closest person apart from his father who could give him both.

[mizziette]

FORTY NINE

Casey and Danielle strolled into the clearing at the caravan park for the after party and found the party already at full rage. It was considerably tamer than the ones the river boys threw but the Summer Bay High schoolers came a close second. Danielle’s eagerness to get to the party had now fizzled out and was replaced with something undistinguishable. ‘It’s a little wild.’

‘Not compared to the ones Heath throws. But it’s pretty awesome. You want a drink?’ Casey yelled over the music and gestured to the ice cooler nearby.

‘No. I’m good.’

‘Are you sure? I can get you one.’

Danielle looked apprehensive as she tried to ignore the churning in her stomach. ‘No thanks. I don’t drink. Will you be okay on your own? I just need to quickly do something.’

When his sister had left, Casey felt a little out of place as he sipped his beer by himself. There wasn’t a single familiar face and feeling lonely, he decided to venture towards some of the quieter areas in the caravan park. Strolling through aimlessly, he turned the corner and bumped into a passionate couple gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes.

‘Oh sorry, I didn’t see you.’ He smiled awkwardly and moved out of the way.

‘That’s okay.’ Annie Campbell sighed dreamily and absent-mindedly, obviously smitten with the blonde guy who held her, never faltering eye contact. It was almost like it was the last time they’d see each other.

Trying not to roll his eyes, Casey walked on beside the trees and heard an atrocious retching sound coming from within the bushes. It was a common occurrence at parties, where someone always has a little too much and threw it up but concerned, he decided to investigate anyway and ventured towards the noise.

‘Casey!’ Danielle looked surprised to be caught red-handed as she stood back up and wiped the vomit residue from her mouth. ‘What’re you doing here?’

‘Why are you throwing up? Are you okay? Do you want me to call Brax to drive you home?’

His sister shook her head, obviously shocked at being caught out. ‘No, no, no, don’t. It’s fine, really. It’s just a passing thing.’

‘We’ve only been at this party for ten minutes. You don’t drink and you’re throwing up. What’ wrong?’ Casey was still concerned.

‘Casey, seriously, I’m fine.’ She tried to walk away and brush it off but he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

‘Danielle…’ But she was already walking away like nothing ever happened.

Nearby at the surf club, their older brother Brax sat at the little couch beside the bar with Tracey Hay. What had started as a harmless school play had turned into an overwhelming night, one which was beginning to take its toll.

‘You have to know, I never meant to hurt you boys or Cheryl.’ Tracey tried to explain her betrayal. ‘I loved your father and….’

‘And look where that got you, all alone and left behind.’ Brax interrupted coldly and took an extra-long swig of beer. ‘That’s what you get when you love Sean Braxton. You get left behind.’

‘It wasn’t my intention to take him away from you.’ The middle aged woman pleaded trying desperately to shake away her guilt as she held onto her wine glass tightly watching her step-son take yet another long sip from the bottle.

‘But you did. Probably did us a favour taking him off our hands.’ The words slurred as he gestured to her with his hand. ‘He wasn’t that great. Although I have to say it wasn’t exactly a picnic picking up the pieces from your mess. Your mess and my dad’s mess, it was all one big mess.’

Tracey sighed guiltily as the drunken man opened his arms wide to indicate the sheer size of the mess. As he swayed slightly on his seat, she gulped. ‘It must have been hard for you.’

‘Must’ve been hard for me? Nah, I did alright. In fact, I did great.’ Slowly enunciated words spat out of Brax’ mouth as he chuckled manically. ‘It’s my mum that took it hard. You remember my mum right? Short, loud, I think you two were best mates. Until her husband knocked you up of course.’

Brax laughed again but his companion didn’t find it funny and neither did he. For him, laughing was easier than crying but Tracey was uncomfortable. She remained silent as he raved on. ‘I had the best time wiping the vomit from her mouth while she passed out drunk on the couch every night. It was my favourite thing to do every night in between raising her baby son- my little brother- and scrounging money to pay the bills. Oh, and we can’t forget those great family memories. Stealing money from mum to put food in my brother’s mouths, telling Casey why he didn’t have a daddy like all his mates, fending off DoCS, good times.’

Tracey looked shocked to hear him mock but he was on a roll, his words slow and drained from the alcohol. ‘Tracey, you wouldn’t believe the kinds of things I’ve done to take care of my family. Hell, you probably would but …’ He shook his head to himself as he grudgingly thought about where his income came from. ‘And I did it all at twelve years old. Would you believe it; twelve. What were you doing when you were twelve? I bet taking care of your Barbie dolls was pretty hard eh? Almost as hard, some might say, as raising a family of four on your own. Actually, they wouldn’t say that would they? It doesn’t even compare.’

‘Darryl, please, I just want you to know how sorry I am…’ Tracey pleaded with him to stop with her eyes. She had invited him so she could make amends but it looked like the hurt in the younger man was going to be impossible to amend.

‘No please, Tracey.’ Brax shook his head clear as the beer made the world sway. ‘I think… you want to know what I think, do ye? Here it is. I- I think that we- that’s you and me- need to get something straight. You.‘ He pointed at her every time he said the word you. ‘You were her best mate. You were besties, BFFs. And you took a knife from my mother’s own kitchen and pressed it right into her back until she bled… and bled…. and bled. And she’s still bleeding. She’s never stopped bleeding. You know why, don’t you Tracy? Guess.’

‘Darryl, don’t do this.’

‘You don’t want to guess? That’s okay. I’ll just tell you.’ He paused between each word not only for emphasis but because he was too drunk to speak any more fluently. ‘It is because… you, Tracey Hay, stabbed her in the back. You and that son of a-‘

‘Darryl!’ Tracey couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t listen to his hurt anymore and she needed to make sure Danielle was okay at the party, especially considering the girl’s delicate condition. Standing up, she tried to stop the tears from falling as she looked down at the man who she had ripped his childhood away from. ‘I think I should leave.’

Brax punched the couch in frustration when she walked off as he willed himself not to break down. He hadn’t anticipated that he would get so emotional and upset but the drinks had uninhibited him.

‘Excuse me?’ There was a slight tap on his shoulder and he looked up to see a petite brunette standing over him. Smiling sympathetically, Martha looked down at the poor man. ‘Maybe you should leave too? My Granddad’s about to close the club for the night. Would you like me to call a cab?’

Brax just shook his head and staggered outside.